The present disclosure relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Salvia plant, also known as a sage, a perennial that is grown for use as an ornamental landscape and container plant. The new variety is known botanically as Salvia x jamensis and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘Ignition Fuchsia’.
‘Ignition Fuchsia’ originated and was selected from a large population of hybrid seedlings from a Salvia breeding program which was started in 2009. The breeding program was conducted in a greenhouse nursery in Elk, Calif. The aim of the breeding program is to develop a uniform series of compact varieties of Salvia x jamensis each with closely similar plant habits and flowering characteristics but with distinctly different and saturated flower colors. The inventor has released two varieties to date, Salvia plant named ‘Ignition Purple’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,788), and the instant variety ‘Ignition Fuchsia’.
‘Ignition Fuchsia’ was selected by the inventor in 2015 from seedlings which resulted from the controlled hybridization using pollen collected en masse from the inventor's collection of Salvia varieties which bear flowers with saturated colors. The identity of the male parent is unknown. The collected pollen was applied to the flowers of the inventor's proprietary variety Salvia x jamensis ‘Elk Ruby Ruby II’ (unreleased, unpatented) as female parent.
‘Ignition Fuchsia’ was selected for its intense vibrant deep magenta colored flowers which are borne on compact plants with mid-green glossy leaves.
‘Ignition Fuchsia’ was first asexually propagated in spring 2016 in a greenhouse at the inventor's nursery in Elk, Calif. using softwood tip cuttings. The inventor has confirmed that ‘Ignition Fuchsia’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.